As your President I will be accessible rather than aloof and unreachable. I know what the job of President of Local 551 consists of and how to do it right. As Vice President I organized a National Workers Conference at our Union Hall. The Conference featured workers from around the country and around the world. I organized Labor History Tours of Chicagoland for Local 551 members. I organized a lobbying trip to Washington DC to help defeat the TPP. I assisted the President and filled in while he was away. During that time I arranged approved committee training travel and union business requests. When not on duty for the President I was always accessible, and often asked to make sure union business requests had been approved.
As a founding member and Chairperson of Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), I helped organize a nationwide campaign to win Direct Elections for UAW International Officers. UAWD also worked to hold corrupt UAW International Officials accountable under the rules in our Constitution. We met with the UAW Monitor to try and make the referendum and subsequent UAW International Executive Board elections fair and democratic.
As your Financial Secretary I provided true transparency. Financial Reports were given to the members in such detail that you could easily see how your dues dollars were being spent. I cleared up multiple tax issues left over and saved the local money on my hours by accomplishing all of this on a part time basis. (click here to see an example of my detailed financial reports)
As President of UAW Local 551 I will have an open-door policy. The union hall is for the enjoyment of ALL Local 551 members! I will establish regular business hours. The union hall will be open 12 hours per day (or more when necessary) to accommodate all of our members. The parking lot will remain accessible for members to unwind. Feel free to have coffee with me anytime!
Standing Committees are the lifeblood of a well functioning union. We need all hands on deck to build vital ties to the community, our members and other labor organizations. My plans include reinvigorating committees that have grown stagnant and keeping active committees working toward their mission.
Union meetings allow the membership to have a voice and vote on how our union business is conducted. I believe in making union meetings as accessible as possible. I will introduce hybrid (in person and online options) for members to participate in union meetings.
Knowledge is power! Our union hall is under utilized for classes that can supply every member with the tools to take on the challenges on the shop floor. As your President I will partner with labor education programs at DePaul and the University of Illinois to teach subjects from grievance handling to labor history. I will also conduct classes to teach members the procedures in our constitution, bylaws and contracts that are designed to enhance membership power.
From the National Workers Conference to Local 551's first (and only) International Women's Month event I have helped organize successful events at UAW Local 551.
The National Workers Conference was one of my proudest moments. It attracted labor and community activists from across the country and around the world. Pictured above is Herbert Claros who is the Vice President of Brazilian Metalworkers union. They represent workers at the GM Plant in Sao Paulo Brazil among other industries in the Sao Paulo area.
Also featured at the conference was Teamsters International Vice President John Palmer, United Farm Workers organizer and then President of the Sacremento California chapter of LACLA Al Rojas, From the Australian Longshoremen Union General Secretary Bob Carnegie among other labor and community activists.
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